


Burning Soul

by hazelNuts



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Deputy Jordan, F/M, Fluff, Insecure Jackson, Jackson & Lydia are in college, M/M, Mentioned Stiles/Derek, Multi, POV Changes, striptease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 01:49:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4460660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelNuts/pseuds/hazelNuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jackson comes home from studying in London for three months, Lydia and Jordan have a surprise for him. Unfortunately, that surprise presses all the wrong buttons and Jackson starts pulling away. Lydia and Jordan would be much happier without him, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jackson

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpookyBibi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyBibi/gifts).



> I couldn't pick just _one_ of the prompts you gave, so I kind of mushed them all together.
> 
> Many, many thank you's to [queerlyalex](http://queerlyalex.tumblr.com/) for helping me out with their beta magic!

Jackson settles into his seat, and stares out his window, only half-listening to the stewardess’ little pre-flight routine. If all goes well, he’ll be home in seven hours, just in time for the holidays. He loved being in London, but he’s missed Jordan and Lydia. They talked almost daily, and sent each other tons of pictures and videos, but it’s not the same as being there.

They’ve barely reached altitude before he pulls out his phone. He smiles when he sees his lock screen picture. They took it on their first date, two years and thousands of pictures later, it’s still his favourite.

Danny had signed him up for a dating website, when he’d gotten sick of Jackson moping around their dorm, complaining he would never find his soulmate.

‘This site has a seventy-five percent success rate,’ his best friend had said.

‘I won’t check it. Ever,’ Jackson had sworn. He had very high standards, and only losers signed up for dating websites.

Danny had written down his username and password, and handed it to him with a grin, ‘Sure you won’t.’

After a week of holding his ground, Jackson had caved and logged on. There had been a couple messages, most of them were from people who either had to be serial killers, or missing half a brain. Only two messages were worth reading.

The first was from a girl, LydiaC8H11N. The message had been short and to the point, saying that the website gave them an eighty-two percent compatibility rate, and that if he wanted to meet he should message her. He’d checked her profile, and was impressed. She was pretty, with long red hair, and a wide happy smile that suggested she knew she was better than you, but wouldn’t hold against you. She was in her junior year of a double major at Stanford, liked shopping, physics, maths, and loved her dog, Prada.

The other message was from a guy who’s name was JediJordan. That wasn’t very promising, but the message was nice. JediJordan assured Jackson that he didn’t live in his mom’s basement, even if his profile name made it seem like he did. They had a very high compatibility rate, so if he wanted to meet, just tell him when and where.

The guy was pretty cute, blond hair and bright green eyes. He’d taken his picture in his deputy’s uniform, something Jackson very much approved of. He worked for the Santa Clara County Police Department, loved dogs, and dancing (even if he wasn’t very good at it). He preferred diner food over any other, and would happily spend an extra hour at the gym each week if it meant he could keep eating his burgers and fries.

Jackson had thought he’d to let the compatibility rates decide who he’d go out with first, but they turned out to be the same. So he’d messaged them both.

JediJordan had been the first to get back to him. They agreed to meet at a small diner, just off campus. Jackson had breathed a sigh in relief when the guy had walked in, and he looked just as good as in the picture. The diner food hadn’t gotten to him yet.

In fact, the picture hadn’t done him justice. Those green eyes had a constant sparkle in them that drew Jackson in. They made him feel like he was the only important thing in the room. Jordan was friendly, open, and laughed easily. Jackson didn’t think the man realized how gorgeous he was, because whenever he’d compliment him on his looks Jordan’s lip would tick up in a small, shy smile.

It hadn’t taken long for the conversation to turn to the dating site.

‘Why’d you sign up?’ Jackson had asked.

‘I didn’t, one of my friends kind of tricked me.’

Jackson had raised his eyebrows, asking for the entire story.

‘Actually, he’s my best friend’s boyfriend. He was asking me questions, and it turns out they were the questions for the profile.’

‘You didn’t realize what was going on?’ Jackson had laughed.

‘If you ever meet him you’ll understand,’ Jordan chuckled. ‘Stiles is kind of a weird guy. What about you?’

‘My best friend got tired of me complaining, and decided to take matters into his own hands.’

‘That sounds like he was planning your murder.’

‘I’m sure that was plan B.’

Jordan had thrown his head back and laughed, while Jackson took a smug sip of his coffee.

‘I’m glad you got back to me first. There was another person with the same percentage as you, but she didn’t message me back until right before I left tonight.’

‘Really?’ Jordan had frowned. ‘I had another person with the same compatibility as you, too.’

‘That can’t be coincidence. What’s their name?’

‘LydiaC8H11N. Not sure what it means though.’

‘The formula for phenylethylamine. It’s released in your brain when you “fall in love”,’ Jackson explained.

‘Well, we know she’s confident at least,’ Jordan had chuckled.

‘It can’t be a coincidence, us all getting the same percentages. Should we message her?’

‘Why not?’

They’d sent Lydia a short message explaining what they’d found out. Lydia took two minutes to get back to them. She was free tonight, and were they okay with her crashing their date. Forty-five minutes later, Lydia slid into the booth next to Jackson.

They’d been a little intimidated by her at first. Lydia was extremely smart, quick witted, and absolutely stunning in every way. She could be a little sharp, but Jackson liked it. It kept him on his toes.

The rest of the evening had flown by. Their waitress hadn’t looked too happy when it seemed like all they would be getting were refill for their coffees. But when Jordan had started ordering them dishes they absolutely had to try out, she’d gotten back her smile.

Lydia had been the first to say she needed to get home. Before she left, she wanted a picture of them together. They’d huddled close, Jackson had ended up in the middle, with both Jordan’s and Lydia’s lips pressed against his cheeks.

After that, hardly a day had gone by where they hadn’t talked. All leading to the present, with Lydia and Jordan living together, and Jackson excitedly awaiting to move in with them after graduation.

A stewardess asking him if he would like something to drink, brings him back to the present. The stewardess hands him and his neighbour their drinks, and then moves on to the next row. He unlocks his phone, and finds that he’s spent the last hour reminiscing. Deciding that getting lost in memories of his boyfriend and girlfriend isn’t a bad way to spend the next six hours, he opens the folder marked _Perfection._

The first picture is one of Jordan and Lydia, pretending to enjoy a nice warm day in San Fran while Jackson had been in freezing London.

‘What a cute couple,’ the lady next to him says. ‘Are they your friends?’

‘Yeah,’ Jackson says, not able to bring himself to correct her. He quickly turns off his phone and stuffs it back into his pocket, his good mood from a few moments ago vanishing.

He’s been hearing that a lot lately: _Lydia and Jordan make such a cute couple, Lydia and Jordan are perfect for each other, Lydia and Jordan truly belong together_. It makes him feel like he isn’t a part of the relationship anymore.

It had started his third week away from home. He’d been on Facebook, checking to make sure all his losers were still alive and his eye had caught a conversation between two of Lydia’s classmates, Heather and Danielle. It wasn’t even really a conversation. It was mostly a series of OMGs and little heart emojis, but it had boiled down to the two girls thinking that Lydia and Jordan were perfect, and a relationship like theirs was a “life goal”.

Heather had linked to a picture. When Jackson saw it, it had felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest. They did look like the perfect couple. Emphasis on _couple._

In the picture, they were sitting on a park bench, sipping coffee. Lydia looked perfect, as always. Her long red hair neatly pinned up, wearing a flowery dress and a red leather jacket. Jordan looked like he’d grabbed the first clean clothes he’d found, which was probably the case, but still looked amazing. They were laughing while Lydia tried to make Jordan look into the camera.

Lydia loves having pictures of them. She loves taking pictures of them too, claiming their perfection needed to be documented as much as possible.

In that moment, though, Jackson had felt anything but perfect. He’d felt the fact that he wasn’t as smart as Lydia, as kind as Jordan, or as funny as either of them. In that moment, he’d felt like an outsider in his own relationship.

Lydia had noticed something was wrong the next time they’d spoken. She’d lost no time correcting him, saying, ‘We love you, Jackson. And if you ever think like this again, I’m getting on the first plane to London to kick your butt.’

He’d protested that she couldn’t leave now that her thesis was in it’s critical stages. Jordan had chimed in, telling Jackson in no uncertain terms that he was going to receive a nauseatingly sweet message every morning for the rest of his stay in London. And that he’d better believe them, or he was going to be in trouble.

They’d made good on their promises. Every morning when he woke up, there had been a sweet message waiting for him, a lot of them with pictures attached. It still hurt when other people referred to Jordan and Lydia as a couple, but it never lasted longer than it took for him to receive his next message.

And now, with only five and a half hours until he’s back home, those insecurities are popping up again because of a throwaway comment by some old lady.

He plugs in the headphones, turns up the volume and focuses on the movie. It has explosions and terrible acting. Just what he needs.

~

By the time the plane lands at San Francisco International Airport, his mood hasn’t improved much. The movies were a nice distraction, but the food sucked, the lady next to him snored, and his ass hurts from all the sitting. It’s not until he turns his phone back on that he cheers up a little.

There’s a picture of Lydia standing in front of the airport. And a message that reads: _Hurry up! We have a surprise and we can’t wait to show you!_

He collects his luggage, and hurries to the exit. He sees a security guard following him from the corner of his eye, and realizes his haste must seem a little suspicious, but he doesn’t care. He’s almost home.

He’s barely stepped outside when he’s surrounded by two arms and a mess of red hair. He lets go of his bags to hug Lydia back.

‘I missed you,’ Lydia mumbles into his neck.

‘I missed you, too. Where’s Jordan?’

‘In the car. Come on.’ She grabs his hand and starts dragging him towards where their boyfriend is waiting. Jackson turns to look at the guard that was following him, just in time to see him turn around shaking his head, with a smile on his face.

When they reach the car, Jordan’s greeting is no less enthusiastic than Lydia’s. He envelopes Jackson in a warm hug, and presses an enthusiastic kiss to his lips that is more teeth than lips, because neither of them can stop smiling.

‘Hurry up,’ Lydia urges them, as they’re putting the bags in the trunk. ‘I want to show him.’

‘We’re done.’ Jordan slams the trunk closed, and holds open the door for Jackson to get in.

‘Alright what is it you wanted to show me?’

Lydia shrugs off her jacket, and twists in her seat, so her back is to him, lifting the back of her blouse. Jordan is shrugging off his jacket as well, and twisting his arm so Jackson is now looking at his triceps.

For a moment Jackson is confused. Did they get matching tattoos while he was away? But the fiery butterflies are too vibrant, too alive. It’s almost like they’re part of their skin, not something that was added to it.

Then, Jackson realizes what they are.


	2. Lydia

Lydia wakes up snuggled into a broad chest, surrounded by the lingering smells of beer and cigarettes. She burrows in a little deeper, not wanting to get up just yet. She wants to stay in the holiday spirit a little bit longer.

Last night’s New Year’s Eve party had been amazing. They’d danced and laughed and drank, celebrating their last night of freedom before they had to get back to their obligations. Parrish had traded shifts so he could be off at Christmas and New Year’s. He won’t be home much the next couple of weeks. Jackson’s final semester of college will start in a few days, so he’ll be stuck behind his computer, working on papers. Lydia, herself, will be grading papers, so many papers. She loves being a TA, but all those papers that have to be read, and graded, won’t leave much time for her to work on her thesis.

When she starts to get too restless to stay in bed much longer, Lydia blinks open her eyes to see whose chest she’s snuggled into. She smiles when she sees Jordan’s sleeping face. She brushes her finger over his arm, right where his soulmark is, feeling the echo of that touch on her own soulmark.

When the bond had been new, every touch on their marks had echoed on the other’s skin. She’d been able to feel his clothes rubbing against Jordan’s mark, or the simple claps on the shoulder from his colleagues. It had been very distracting, but it only lasted a couple of days. Then, their bond had settled, and they could only feel it if they touched their own or the other’s mark.

Lydia lifts her head to look for Jackson, surprised to find he isn’t there. Out of the three of them, he’d had the most to drink. Jackson is a drama queen when he has a hangover, and usually stays in bed until someone brings him eggs and coffee.

She slips out of Jordan’s embrace, and goes to find her other boyfriend. Jackson is in the kitchen, frowning at his coffee. She’s almost impressed that Jackson actually brewed them a pot, until she goes to pour herself a cup. The pot is cold, and the smell isn’t very pleasant.

‘Are you going to drink that or do you want me to make fresh pot?’ she asks.

Jackson jerks up, and looks at her in surprise. He must not have noticed her coming in.

‘If I drink this, I’ll probably need a new stomach in a couple of hours.’

‘New pot it is.’ She grabs his mug of old coffee. With her other hand, she combs through his hair, and places a kisses on top of his head.

Jackson leans into it for a moment, but then stiffens and hunches back in on himself.

‘That bad?’ she smiles pityingly.

‘What?’

‘Your hangover.’

‘Yeah.’ But Jackson doesn’t really seem to hear her. He seems preoccupied. Well, she’d be preoccupied too, if she’d drank an entire bottle of tequila in an hour last night.

‘I’ll go make you some eggs and toast, too. Maybe with a side of aspirin?’ she smirks.

Jackson throws her an unimpressed look, but there’s a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

‘Sure. Is Jordan up yet?’

‘He wasn’t a minute ago.’

‘I’ll go get him.’ Jackson slides of his chair, and shuffles to the bedroom.

Lydia hums while she cracks the eggs and puts the bread in the toaster. Today is the last day she can fully spend with her two boyfriends, and she’s going to enjoy it.

‘Oh my god. Why?’ Parrish groans from the kitchen entrance. ‘Why are you so cheerful?’

‘It’s not right,’ Jackson agrees.

The two men drop into their seats at the table. Both looking like an absolute mess, glaring at the lights she turned on while cooking. They really are adorable, her boys.

‘This is the first time the three of us have been able to sit at breakfast together in almost three months,’ Lydia explains, setting their plates in front of them.

She’s has really missed this. Jackson had been quiet and absent the past week. He hadn’t really had time to get over his jet lag before the chaos of Christmas and New Year’s had started. They’d wanted to spend Christmas together, but Jackson’s parents had invited them to stay over for a couple of days. After that, they’d been driving around California, visiting her and Jordan’s families. Barely unpacked from their road trip, it had been time to go celebrate New Year’s. Perhaps the boys are a little more quiet than usual, but it feels good to have things back to normal.

When everyone is done, she clears away the dishes and turns on the tab to rinse them. She’s about to turn around to tell her boys that one of them can pack the dishwasher, when two strong arms wrap around her waist, and a hard chest presses against her back.

‘Thank you for breakfast,’ Jordan mutters into her hair. ‘We’ll clean up. You go get dressed.’

Lydia turns, wrapping an arm around his waist. She looks at Jackson, and holds out her other arm so he can join in on their threesome hug.

‘I’m going to take a shower,’ Jackson announces. His jaw is clenched and he turns stiffly towards the bathroom.

Maybe things aren’t quite back to normal yet.

~

When Lydia gets into Jordan’s car for their lunch date, she finds him frowning at his phone. He doesn’t notice she’s there until she shuts the door.

‘Jackson’s cancelled. Again,’ he sighs.

Lydia nods, she just saw the text. Jackson said he was having trouble with his paper, and needed to go to the library. She’d asked him if they should keep him company, but he’d told her to have fun with Jordan. It wouldn’t have bothered her if this wasn’t the fourth time in little over a week.

‘Something’s wrong.’

‘I know.’ Lydia pulls off her gloves and grabs Jordan’s hand, tangling their fingers together. ‘He’s been absent ever since he came back.’

‘I thought he was just jetlagged.’

‘Me too. That’s what he said when I asked about it on Christmas. Now, he’s saying it’s stress from school.’

‘It could be the truth,’ Jordan suggests, but she can hear in his voice that he believes it just as much as she does. ‘Or maybe it’s about New Year’s.’

Lydia clenches her jaw as she remembers the incident. Scott and Allison had invited everyone they knew. While most of the people they knew were great, they also knew Matt Daehler and his girlfriend, Vicky. The girl had cornered Jackson, and asked him why he was still with Lydia and Jordan when they already had their marks. She’d said it was obvious the universe didn’t think he belonged with them, and that all he was doing was coming in between soulmates.

Lydia had overheard the remark, smiled sweetly at the girl, and said, ‘Sweetheart, what we do in our relationship is none of your business. I suggest you go find your own boyfriend, before he finds another guy to hook up with.’

It had been a low blow, and she knew it. Everyone knew about the fact that Matt was sleeping around with guys, and that Vicky was trying to ignore it, but nobody got away with hurting the people she loved. She’d taken no small amount satisfaction in the way Vicky had stomped off in silent fury.

She’d turned to Jackson then, took one look at his pinched expression, and hugged him close.

‘I love you,’ she’d told him. ‘You know that right?’

‘Yeah,’ Jackson had answered.

She’d accepted that answer then, but now she’s not so sure she should have. There was something he wasn’t telling them.

‘What are you thinking? I can almost hear those little wheels in your head turning,’ Jordan asks, squeezing her hand lightly.

‘We need to find out what is wrong. If we don’t, he’ll bottle it up and take it out on himself.’

‘I’ll go over there after my shift and talk to him.’

Lydia smiles and nods in relief. The combination of Jordan’s sweet face, and police instincts could make anyone talk.

~

Jackson hadn’t talked. He’d brushed off his boyfriend with an excuse about not having any time and being on his way to the gym. So, Lydia had come up with a new plan.

Jackson wasn’t going to initiate the sharing of feelings. For some reason, he didn’t feel safe or secure enough to do that. It was their job to make sure he got that back.

Lydia looks around their rearranged living room, they used nearly every pillow and every blanket they could find to make a fort. It took them most of their Saturday afternoon to build it, but perfection takes time. In it, they placed the television, a big pile of DVDs, a low table stacked with food and drinks, and a box of condoms with bottle of lube. Lydia insisted on stringing fairy lights along the ceiling of the fort, that way they can turn off all the lights in the apartment while watching the movies, but there would be no danger of one of them falling on their face if they have to go to the bathroom.

Everything is ready, all that’s left is for Jackson to arrive.

‘Don’t worry. He’ll come,’ Jordan tells her when he catches her straightening out the same pillow for the fifth time.

Just then, they hear the key in the front door. Lydia scrambles out of the fort to greet her boyfriend. It used to be that Jackson would spend every possible moment with them at their apartment, but he hasn’t been back since New Year’s, and she’s missed him. Jackson is barely inside when she grabs his scarf and pulls him into a kiss. He stumbles into her, briefly relaxing before he tenses, and pulls back.

‘Hi,’ he says. There is a smile on his lips, but his eyes look sad.

‘Come on. Let me show you what we did.’

Lydia ignores the way her heart squeezes painfully for a moment, and grabs his hand to pull him into the living room. Jordan intercepts them on the way, pulling Jackson in for a quick kiss. When Jackson sees the fort, his smile lights up his face. He takes off his coat, gloves and scarf, and then gets on his knees to crawl inside.

‘Shoes off,’ Lydia warns him.

Jackson rolls his eyes, but does as she asks. He settles into the cushions, and looks at them in question as both she and Jordan crawl in after him.

‘This is amazing. What’s the occasion?’ he asks.

‘You are.’ Lydia places a kiss on his cheek, and curls into his side.

‘We haven’t had any quality time since you got back, and we decided it was either big or go home,’ Jordan adds. He sits down on Jackson’s other side, and grasps one of Jackson’s hands firmly in his own.

‘I thought we were home.’

Lydia feels the relief flood through her at Jackson’s words. Tonight is going to work.

They choose a movie, and settle in. They’re not even really watching. They mostly eat and talk.

Thirty minutes in, Lydia notices Jackson getting quieter. A frown is forming on his face, and the shoulder she’s leaning on is tensing up. She smooths away the frown with her fingertips, and he throws her a quick smile, but soon Jackson’s eyebrows start pulling together again.

Jordan must have noticed too, because he lets go of Jackson’s hand and puts his arm around his shoulder. He starts to brush his fingers through the short hairs at the back of Jackson’s head and again, the physical contact seems to help. Jackson leans into the touch, but almost as soon as he’s relaxed, he stiffens again.

‘I have to use the bathroom,’ he says. Without waiting for a response, he crawls out of the fort.

Lydia expects him to sit between them again once he’s back, but Jackson pointedly sits down on her other side, forcing her to scoot closer to Jordan. He doesn’t even sit close enough to touch her, making sure to leave a couple inches of space between them.

Lydia wants to grab his shoulders and shake him until he tells her what’s wrong, but she knows it won’t work.

~

‘I don’t see how this is going to work,’ Lydia grumbles. ‘Why would this work, while my plan failed?’

‘It’s food,’ is all Jordan says.

‘I can see that. But there was food in the fort.’ She knows she’s being petulant, it’s not a competition. The goal is to get their boyfriend back.

Jordan seems to understand her anxiety, and simply places a kiss on her forehead.

In the two days since their movie night, they’ve only heard from Jackson once. Which was only because Jordan had texted him first, asking him to come over for dinner. All they’d gotten back was an “okay”. Jordan had texted again to tell him to dress up, but that one hadn’t received a reply. She’d relied heavily on Jordan’s optimism as they prepared for tonight.

They’ve been busy all afternoon. Lydia’s spent most of it folding napkins into swans, and setting the table, while Jordan prepared the food. There are plasters on his fingers from where he’s burned them, twice. Once on the pie, and once on the pizza.

‘He’s late,’ she says, glancing at the clock. She shifts some of the silverware on the table around, and then turns towards Jordan to adjust his bowtie. It might only be pizza and cherry pie, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t look gorgeous while eating.

‘I’ll call him.’ Jordan folds his hands around hers to still them. He squeezes lightly in reassurance, and digs his phone out of his pocket.

She watches Jordan’s carefully during the next couple minutes. When she sees his expression of hope slowly turn into one of disappointment, she feels her heart breaking. She doesn’t even know who it’s for: herself, Jordan, or Jackson. Perhaps it’s the fear of never getting back what they had.

‘He’s not coming,’ Jordan says.

‘Do you think he’s going to break up with us?’ Lydia barely gets the question past the lump in her throat. She drops into a chair, her mind spinning.

Anger flares up in her. How dare Jackson do this to them? They’re supposed to be a team. They’re supposed to love each other. People who love each other don’t do this. If Jackson wants this to end, fine, but she sure as hell is going to show him what he’ll be missing first.

~

‘Are you nervous?’ Jordan asks her.

‘No.’ She probably should be, but she isn’t. They’ve done everything they could. They’ve tried talking. They’ve tried showing Jackson that he’s one of them, that they miss him. Now, it’s time to show him what _he’ll_ miss. ‘This is going to be fun.’

‘Yes. It will be.’ There is an excited glint in Jordan’s eyes that mirrors her own.

At the sound of the key in the front door, Lydia pushes Jordan into the living room. She straightens her dress and takes a deep breath, excitement filling her stomach with butterflies.

The lights in the living room dim and the music starts. She can hear Jordan directing Jackson to the couch, while Jackson asks him what the hell is going on.

Lydia steps out of the bedroom when the piano starts.


	3. Jordan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is [You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOotsq4soug).

Jordan is a terrible dancer. Whenever they go out dancing, Jackson and Lydia sandwich him in the middle and make him look far more awesome than he is. His job today is to make sure that Lydia doesn’t trip over any of her discarded clothes. They’ve tried to make him look sexy while doing that, but decided that him being shirtless will have to do.

Lydia, on the other hand, is an amazing dancer. Your eyes are drawn to her. Every movement is deliberate, without being forced. It always looks like she’s dancing for herself, until she focusses her eyes on you. Which is why they decided that Lydia will be doing all the hard work.

When they hear the key in the lock, Lydia pushes him out of the bedroom to receive their boyfriend. On his way, he dims the lights and turns on the music.

‘What’s going on? Jackson asks as he closes the door behind him. ‘And what is that awful music?’

Jordan gives him a quick peck on the cheek and directs him to the couch.

‘Just take a seat.’

‘Why are you in your uniform?’ Jackson looks completely puzzled now. It’s a funny expression. They don’t get to see it often. ‘Did you get called in? Look, if thi-‘

Jackson snaps his mouth shut when Lydia steps into the room. She’s wearing a knee length black coat, red pumps, and a top hat. Jordan had trouble speaking too, the first time Lydia showed him the outfit, and then what was underneath it.

Her hips are swaying to the music as she slowly unbuttons the coat, her eyes focused on Jackson. Jordan, too, is hypnotized by those red lacquered fingers moving from button to button. He’s so focused on Lydia that he forgets to unbutton his own shirt until Lydia throws him a quick look, and he scrambles to catch up. He tries to glide over to Lydia, the way she had glided out of the bedroom, but if the snort from the direction of the couch is any indication, it’s not working.

‘ _Baby take of your coat_ ,’ Joe Cocker starts singing.

Lydia lets the coat slide off her shoulders. She’s wearing a tightly fitting purple dress underneath. It’s not very revealing, but the silk shimmers in the low light and clings to her body.

‘Fuck,’ he hears Jackson mutter as the coat drops, and hits the floor with a dull thud. Jordan shares the sentiment.

‘ _Real slow.’_

Jordan focusses all his attention on swaying his hips in time to the beat so he won’t get distracted as Lydia slides his shirt off his shoulders. When Lydia’s hands slide down his arms and over the soulmark, he hears her breath hitch and a shiver runs through him. When he looks down into his girlfriend’s eyes, Lydia is smirking at him. She knows exactly what she did.

Lydia quickly yanks his shirt the rest of the way down and then throws it at Jackson, who lets out a laugh as it hits his face.

‘ _And take of your shoes… here, I’ll take of your shoes.’_

Jordan sinks to the floor, letting his hands slide from Lydia’s waist, over her ass and thighs, and down the smooth skin of her calves. When he reaches her heels, he quickly slips off the pumps as Lydia lifts her feet. He quickly throws them, and the coat that is still lying on the floor, under the coffee table. Lydia moves in front of him as he stands back up, her swaying hips and sultry gaze distracting Jackson from the ungracefulness of his boyfriend.

_‘Baby, take of your dress. Yes, yes, yes.’_

Jordan presses his lips to Lydia’s neck, while he slides down the zipper of her dress. He keeps his eyes trained on Jackson. There is a promising glint in his boyfriend’s eyes that has Jordan fumbling the zipper at the end. He feels himself getting hard. Damn it. They’re barely a minute into the song.

Lydia spins around so she’s facing him.

‘Losing control there, sweetie?’ she mutters.

Jordan only hums as he starts to slide the dress off Lydia’s shoulders. His fingers follow the fabric as it slides over her smooth skin. Jackson’s reaction to the red lace bra and thong is the same as Jordan’s when he saw them for the first time.

The dress pools around Lydia’s feet, and she quickly steps out of it, before kicking it under the table.

_‘You can leave your hat on. You can leave your hat on. You can leave your hat on.’_

Lydia grabs the brim of her hat and pulls it down slightly, as she looks back over her shoulder to wink at Jackson. It makes the small smile on his face grow a little more. Lydia moves to stand behind Jordan, trailing her finger along his chest and shoulder as she goes. She circles her arms around his torso, and grabs his tank by the front collar. Jordan feels her muscles tense against his sides, and Lydia rips the top in two. Jackson’s eyebrow quirks up in appreciation.

_‘Go on over there and turn on the light...no, all the lights.’_

Jordan walks over to the light switch, passing Jackson on the way and ruffling his the man’s perfectly styled hair. Jackson batts at his arm with a disgruntled growl. Jordan laughs, and accelerates his pace. He doesn’t expect Jackson to be ready for his return, and slap him on the butt as he walks past him again. He yelps, and both Lydia and Jackson let out a bark of laughter. Jordan glowers at them, but the pleased little smirk on Jackson’s face is contagious. Jordan is smiling when he’s back on the performer’s side of the coffee table.

_‘Now come over here and stand on this chair... yeah, that's right.’_

Jordan holds out his hand for Lydia as she steps onto the coffee table. She turns and sinks down to her knees to unclasp his belt, flicking the button of his slacks open. She moves back up, slowly, trailing her fingers over Jordan’s body, making his breath hitch when she lets her fingers brush against his nipples. Again, Lydia tries to distract Jackson from Jordan’s fumbling as he rids himself of his shoes, socks and trousers, but Jackson moves to the side to look around Lydia’s body with an amused smirk. Jordan sticks his tongue out, prompting a chuckle out of Jackson.

_‘Raise your arms up in to the air... now shake 'em.’_

After kicking away his clothes, Jordan stands up straight and wraps an arm around Lydia’s waist. Lydia drags a hand through his hair, then wraps an arm around his neck and a leg around his waist. He holds her tight, lifting her off the table.

‘It’s working,’ Lydia whispers in his ear, before unwrapping her leg and smoothly sliding down to stand on her own feet. Jordan twirls her so that she’s standing in front of him with an arm wrapped around her stomach.

‘I know,’ he whispers back.

_‘You give me reason to live. You give me reason to live. You give me reason to live.’_

They’re simply swaying from side to side now. Jordan with one arm firmly wrapped around Lydia’s waist, Lydia with one hand curled around his neck, the other pointing at Jackson. They’re both looking at him. Jordan knows he’s supposed to look seductive, but he feels his face soften the moment he locks eyes with his boyfriend.

Jackson isn’t one for emotional displays if the emotion isn’t happiness or anger, but eyes are shimmering with are tears, and there is a wide smile on his face. The sad look from only a couple minutes ago is gone. Jordan’s really glad Lydia persuaded him to do this.

Lydia turns in his arms so that they’re face to face again, then turns them so their sides are towards Jackson. She hooks a leg around Jordan’s waist, grabs his arm with one hand, her hat with the other, and leans back so he can dip her. During practice this was the only move he had real confidence in. He might not be incredibly graceful, but he’s strong enough to not drop his girlfriend on her head.

When she comes back up, Lydia’s own sultry gaze has turned into a broad smile, and Jordan feels his own lips stretch to mirror it. Neither of them had expected things to go so well after the past couple of weeks.

Jordan lets one hand slide off Lydia’s back so that she can spin and move behind him. They both let out a small sigh when his fingers brush over her soulmark. He moves to face Jackson again, and stops.

‘Jackson?’ he asks. What he’s seeing is completely different from ten seconds ago. Jackson’s face is closed off, and he’s no longer looking at them. Instead, his gaze is focussed on a spot in the middle of the table.

_‘Suspicious minds are talking.’_

‘I need to go.’ Jackson shoots off the couch, and moves to the front door.

‘ _They’re trying to tear us apart._ ’

Before he can even grab his coat, Lydia moves in front of him and stops him in his tracks with nothing but her furious gaze.

‘No. We need to talk. You’re not getting out of it this time.’

Jackson squares his shoulders. For a moment Jordan thinks he’s going to push past Lydia. Nobody moves, they hardly breathe. The only sound is the music. Then, Jackson’s shoulders sag in defeat. He rubs a hand over his face, and he looks so tired. Jordan grabs his hand, laces their fingers together to lead him back to the couch.

_‘They don’t believe in this love of mine.’_

‘Don’t do that,’ he says. ‘Please, don’t shut us out.’

‘Jackson, sweetie, what is going on?’

Jackson clenches his jaw, a single tear rolling down his cheek. Lydia lifts her hand to wipe it away, but stops when Jackson flinches back.

‘I shouldn’t be here,’ Jackson whispers.

_‘They don’t know what love is.’_

Jordan frowns and looks at Lydia in question, but she’s not looking back at him. She’s looking at Jackson, and the question going through _his_ mind is written all over her face. Why on earth would Jackson say that? Jordan’s pretty sure he could make a good case for why Jackson should always be here.

‘ _They don’t know what love is.’_

‘You’re soulmates. I’m just… in the way,’ Jackson continues. His voice was shaky when he started, but it’s getting firmer with every word. ‘The universe doesn’t think I belong here, so I don’t-‘

‘ _We_ think you belong here,’ Jordan interrupts him, his own voice is rough. He’d been ecstatic when he and Lydia had discovered their soulmarks, but right now he wants to punch whatever entity thought they were a good idea. ‘You’re here because we _want_ you here. Because-‘

‘ _They don’t know what love is.’_

‘- at least I hope, that _you_ want to be here.’

Jackson squeezes his eyes shut, and shakes his head. ‘The universe is right. Lydia is smart and beautiful, and you’re the kindest person in the world. I have no contribution, except for looking good in pretty much anything.’

‘ _They don’t know what loves is.’_

He lets out a self-deprecating laugh, and Jordan doesn’t know what to do. He’s never seen Jackson like this. He knows Jackson has his insecurities, but he never realized they were this big.

‘Fuck the universe,’ Lydia says. They both turn to her in shock. Lydia doesn’t swear. Ever. When she’s mad she’ll throw around words like “sweetheart” and “honey” with a terrifying smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.

_‘I know what love is.’_

‘I’m serious. We don’t know how soulmarks work. We don’t why _we_ have one and you don’t.’ She holds up her hands and starts ticking off points. ‘We know that soulmarks appear on emotionally stable and happy people. You were alone in London, you missed us and we know you got homesick. So, that could be a reason. We know they don’t appear until soulmates have met, and even then it could take years. Maybe you just need a little more time. We know that three-way marks exist, but they’re very rare. People always believe marks should appear at the same moment, but what if they don’t? What if the rules for a mark that involves more than two people are different? We also know that not all people with soulmarks stay together. My parents have soulmarks and they got divorced.’

‘Lydia is right,’ Jordan says. ‘Fuck the universe. We love you.’ He folds both his hands around the one he’s already holding, and Lydia quickly does the same. ‘We want you here for as long as you want to be here.’

‘What if one day a mark appears, and it doesn’t match yours?’ Jackson asks.

‘We’ll figure it out,’ Lydia assures him. ‘If they make you happy, that’s what’s important.’

‘Or they can join us,’ Jordan grins. ‘The more the merrier.’

Jackson huffs out a laugh, relaxing into Jordan’s side and pulling Lydia with him.

‘That first night, we agreed that we couldn’t do this if we didn’t communicate,’ Lydia says. ‘So no more secrets.’

‘Aside from presents and embarrassing childhood stories, no more secrets,’ Jackson nods. ‘I promise.’


	4. Epilogue: Jackson

The sun is streaming brightly through the windows, lighting up their entire living room. Lydia has decided it’s perfect for practicing figure drawing. So, now she’s sitting on the couch with her sketchbook, while Jackson is sitting on a chair in nothing but his boxers. Jordan’s sitting next to their girlfriend, admiring the skill and beauty of the people he’s dating. And being a horrible distraction.

‘Jordan, stop it,’ Lydia says.

‘I’m not doing anything,’ Jordan says innocently, before looking cross-eyed and sticking his tongue out.

Jackson clenches his jaw, and he feels tears springing into his eyes as he tries to hold back his laughter.

Lydia lays down her pencil and turns to Jordan. She raises her eyebrows, pressing lips into a tight smile. ‘Sweetheart…’

‘Sorry,’ Jordan murmurs, and presses a quick apologetic kiss to her cheek.

Lydia nods, satisfied, and goes back to her drawing.

Jackson catches his boyfriend’s eye and raises his eyebrow. He allows a quick smirk on his lips, before schooling his face back into a neutral position. Did Jordan really think he would get away with interrupting Lydia’s drawing practice?

Jackson relaxes, and settles in. He likes posing. He likes the way Lydia’s eyes glide over his body. Having your girlfriend scrutinize every inch of you and still not find any fault is an amazing boost in confidence. His favourite thing is to pose with Jordan, though. Those sessions never last very long, because having his boyfriend pressed up against him is very distracting. The sex after is totally worth Lydia’s pretend-annoyed sighs, too.

Jackson feels eyes boring into the side of his head. He glances towards the others to find Jordan grinning at him widely.

Jackson has barely time to think _oh fuck_ , before Jordan puffs up his cheeks and crosses his eyes, moving his head around like a bobble-head doll.

Jackson’s lips twitch, and he holds his breath so he won’t burst out laughing. He closes his eyes, slowly breathing out. _Don’t look at Jordan, don’t look at Jordan_ , he tells himself.

He tries, but his eyes slide back to his boyfriend without his permission. Jordan’s waiting for it, he immediately scrunches up his nose and pushes his front teeth over his lower lip, making a bunny face. He even wiggles his nose a little.

Jackson’s fingers twitch and he shifts a little in his seat, trying to find a position where it will be impossible for him to see Jordan, without changing it so much that Lydia will notice. He tenses his muscles so he can move, but he makes the mistake of looking up at Lydia to check if she’s looking. She isn’t, but Jordan still is. Jordan, who is sticking out his tongue and wiggling it around in an attempt to touch his nose with it.

All Jackson’s muscles relax as he lets out a bark of laughter, making him slide down in his chair a little.

‘Oh come on,’ Lydia sighs, exasperated.

‘Sorry, Lydia,’ both men mutter.

‘Now I have to go fix him,’ she admonishes, though the smile in her voice is clear.

She hands her sketchpad and pencil to Jordan, and stalks over to Jackson. He sits back up, the way he thought he had when they’d started. Apparently it’s not exactly right, because Lydia shakes her head and starts adjusting his pose. Jackson throws a frown at Jordan. But the other man is looking at them with a fond smile, and he can’t keep up the frown.

In that moment, Jackson realizes how insanely happy he is. It’s been a few weeks since Lydia’s “Fuck the Universe” speech, and things are better than ever. The first week had been the hardest. He’d been pulling away so hard since he’d come back, that he’d still been doing it without realizing. Jordan would squeeze his hand, Lydia would run a hand through his hair, and he would snap out of it. The constant exposure to the soulmarks wasn’t as hard as he’d expected. One morning he’d woken up with Jordan’s arm on his chest and the man’s mark in his face, but all he’d felt was contentment.

Lydia is done with adjusting his limbs and stands behind him to adjust his shoulders and head. She presses down on his shoulders, urging him to lower than. Suddenly, her nails dig into his skin.

‘Oh my god,’ Lydia whispers.

She trails a finger along his spine, starting at his hairline and moving down. A shock runs through every inch of his body.

‘What was that?’ he hears Jordan ask. Jackson thinks he joins Lydia, but can’t be sure. Everything is hazy.

Before he’s fully recovered from the first shock, another set of fingers trails down the same path Lydia’s had taken. He expects it this time, but doesn’t dull the intensity.

Jackson is pulled out of his chair by two strong hands. His legs feel a little week, but Jordan catches him and helps to the bathroom and makes him stand with his back to the mirror.

‘What is it?’ he asks, when he finds his voice again.

Jordan only smiles and shakes his head.

Finally, Lydia comes in holding a hand mirror. She holds it up for him. But it’s not directed at his face, it’s directed at the mirror behind him.

When Jackson sees what it reflects, he loses his breath again. He’s seen that image a hundred times now. He knows how it looks like the flames are really burning, like the butterfly is trying to escape of the skin. He’s seen it on both Jordan’s and Lydia’s skin.

Their soulmark.


End file.
